Apparatus and Method for Making Side Seams on Absorbent Articles

摘要

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses configured to bond elastic laminates together between a rotating drum and anvil. The drum includes a fluid nozzle and a press member. As such, a first elastic laminate and a second elastics laminate may be advanced in a machine direction onto the rotating drum. A fluid is heated to a temperature sufficient to partially melt substrate layers of the first and second elastic laminates. As the drum rotates, the press member shifts radially outward from the drum wherein a length, L, of the pattern surface extends in the cross direction across a plurality of elastic strands of first and/or second elastic laminates. And the partially melted portion of the substrate layers of the first and second elastic laminates and the plurality of elastic strands are then bonded together by being compressed between the pattern surface and the anvil roll.

主权项

1. A method for assembling disposable pant diapers, each pant diaper comprising a chassis having a first end region and an opposing second end region separated from each other by a central region, and having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the chassis comprising: a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, the method comprising the steps of:
advancing a continuous first substrate layer in a machine direction; advancing a continuous second substrate layer in the machine direction; stretching a plurality of elastic strands in the machine direction; adhering the stretched plurality of elastic strands between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer to form a continuous elastic laminate; rotating a drum about an axis of rotation, the drum comprising a fluid nozzle and a press member, wherein the press member comprises a pattern surface that defines a length, L, that extends in a cross direction; rotating an anvil roll adjacent the drum; advancing the elastic laminate on the drum, wherein the first substrate layer is between the stretched plurality of elastic strands and the drum, and wherein the stretched plurality of elastic strands are between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer; heating a fluid to a temperature sufficient to partially melt the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer; moving the fluid nozzle radially outward from the drum; partially melting a portion of the first substrate layer and a portion of the second substrate layer by directing a jet of the heated fluid onto the first substrate layer and second substrate layer; retracting the fluid nozzle radially inward into the drum; shifting the press member radially outward from the drum such that the length, L, of the pattern surface extends across the plurality of stretched elastic strands; and bonding the first substrate layer, the stretch plurality of elastic strands, and the second substrate layer together by compressing the partially melted portion of the first substrate layer, the stretched plurality of elastic strands, and the partially melted portion of the second substrate layer between the pattern surface and the anvil roll.